Frosty Friday likely

Tonight's temps could dip below freezing as well

Tonight's temps could dip below freezing as well

September 13, 2007|By Sarah Ottney, American News Writer

Gardeners would be wise to cover their plants on Friday night. Tonight has the potential for frost, but Friday night will almost certainly be a frosty one, said meteorologist Dan Mohr of the National Weather Service office in Aberdeen. Frost occurs when temperatures dip to 32 or below, Mohr said. Tonight's low is forecasted to be in the mid-30s, but a light wind should keep temperatures from dropping to 32 and prevent frost from forming in this area, he said. Western South Dakota, though, has a good chance of getting frost tonight, he said. Friday night, however, looks to be colder in this area, and Mohr anticipates patchy frost forming on cars and vegetation late that night. The low is again forecasted to be in the mid-30s, Mohr said, but this time with less wind to keep the frost away. “We're still looking at temperatures of 35 or so (Friday night), but ... if winds die off, temperatures can take a plunge,” Mohr said. Extent of damage to vegetation depends on the length of time frost is on them, Mohr said. A hard freeze - temperatures at 32 degrees or lower for an extended period of time - looks unlikely anytime soon, he said, but it would still be a good idea to cover plants on Friday night. Temperatures should warm up again for the weekend, according to area forecasts. Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 58. Breezy, with a northwest wind between 17 and 22 mph, with gusts as high as 31 mph. Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. Northwest wind between 13 and 17 mph. Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 54. North-northwest wind between 6 and 10 mph. Friday night: Patchy frost after 1 a.m. Otherwise, mostly clear, with a low around 35. Light north-northwest wind. Saturday: Sunny, with a high near 68. Saturday night: Mostly clear, with a low around 43. Sunday: Sunny, with a high near 71. Sunday night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.